The present invention is related generally to the preparation of diagnostic reagents. More particularly, the present invention is related to the preparation of an immunological reagent including a monoclonal antibody (MAb) reactive with an epitope found universally in all murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs) with only a few exceptions.
A variety of immunological reagents including MAbs directed at the proteins of MuLVs are known. These include MAbs specific for certain ecotropic, xenotropic and polytropic MuLVs from inbred mice and MAbs reactive with ecotropic viruses of feral mice. The antibodies have been employed in serological typing of different MuLVs, in histological localization of MuLV gene products in infected tissues; in flow cytometry to quantitate MuLV gene expression on the surface of cells; in radioimmune precipitation and immunoblotting of virally encoded proteins; in virus neutralization, and in quantitative assays of different types of MuLVs in complex mixtures of viruses.
However, MAbs differ greatly with respect to their applicability to the various procedures noted above. Those which efficiently detect cell surface antigen may not efficiently precipitate proteins or react in immunoblots. Some of the MAbs which react strongly with live cells, react poorly with fixed histological sections, and few of the MAbs exhibit a marked viral neutralizing activity even though many of them are reactive with viral envelope glycoproteins. Most of the available MAbs are reactive with only limited groups of viruses.
A versatile method for identifying the presence of virtually all classes, groups or strains of MuLVs has not heretofore been known or described.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a versatile method for detecting MuLVs belonging to any or all of the ecotropic, xenotropic, polytropic as well as the amphotropic class of MuLVs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an immunological reagent of broad applicability for MuLVs including focal immunofluorescence assays on live or fixed monolayers, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, immunohistochemical, flow cytometric procedures and the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for effectively neutralizing MuLVs of virtually all classes.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a reliable method for screening cultures for the presence of MuLV.
Various other objects and advantages will become evident from the following detailed description of the invention.